Diversion Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversion Program - Essay Example Diversion program in the criminal justice system is a program run by a police department, court, a district attorney's office, or outside agency designed to enable offenders of criminal law to avoid criminal charges and a criminal record. In October 2007, World Sport Chicago with the cooperation of USA Boxing, Chicago Park District and Police Athlete league of Illinois, launched a program "Gloves not Guns" to encourage school children to pick up boxing gloves and not guns to deal with aggression. The purpose of the "gloves not guns" program is to save youth from offenses and street crimes. So they chose boxing as a tool by which students can take out all their anger and aggression in the ring. They can put off their stress in a legal way rather than indulging themselves in any unwanted acts. "Most importantly, this program will provide our kids with positive alternatives and keep them off the streets and away from the dangers of gangs, guns and drugs. By motivating young people to spend their spare time in the gym, rather than on the streets, we'll be using sports to change people's lives for the better." If we look at this program from the perspective of social process theories, we observe that all the factors of social learning theory, social control theory and social reaction theory are associat

Smartphone Market Essay Example for Free

Smartphone Market Essay With emerging mobile technologies and rapid growth in users of smartphones, there have been a lot of legal issues involved between the mobile phone producers. Standards are being set and patents are being registered by the producers to keep their market upright. These patents are registered mainly to monitor and implement the means to increase the number of consumers. This article will examine how these legal issues affect the end users and also about the legal issues which are being brought to the court. The article also discusses the implications of the current lack of specificity of the patents and suggests refinement of patents in terms of narrow versus broad inclusiveness. Analysis The smartphone market has taken a giant leap in the last decade with major markets emerging every day. The markets do have their own patent and copyright to keep their work intact from the other manufacturers. The legal issues binding to such patents are also complicated. These patents are directly connected to the profits and also market value. They are considered to be valuable and serve as the counter weight for the manufacturers in terms of the market place and to keep a competitive balance in the market. The author in the article tries to understand the legal battle between Apple and Samsung on various patents they use on their phone. Apple on one hand claims that Android market has been designed to copy iphones design and strategy whereas Samsung replies saying that familiar product design doesn’t mean imitation. This battles has started when Samsung launched the galaxy series. The legal battle mainly started with patent issues when Samsung went for Android market for their phones. The legal issues went public and familiar when Samsung was asked to pay $1.05 billion in damages as it acted wilfully in violating the patent rights. This also went to a stage where the Samsung’s key phones and tablets may be banned for sales and the world’s biggest technology provider has come to a stand- still with their four year low on market value after the verdict the US jury. Samsung has come to stage overturn the decision with the patent battles come to an end but it always seems like a fake promise to keep the competitive market balance in mind for the smart phones. While Samsung believes that the design and feature of Apple should not be allowed to claim patent whereas Apple strongly believes  that its design and features are its main market value and consider them as its intellectual property. More violations from Samsung’s end in patents have strengthened the case towards apple. These cases between Apple and Samsung have been spread to almost all the countries where they have their end consumers. Samsung being the main component supplier for Apple should have solved these issues amicably out of the court but failed to do so. The end customers are put in a question always whether to go for Samsung products or Apple products keeping in mind the legal issues these two companies have. The product support also went to a question mark because of the pending legal cases in the court. Most of the applications in both the phones are now in a question mark because of the pending patent rights. Both Apple and Samsung phone users are getting a software update in which many of the features goes for redesigning and certain legal issues goes missing. The functionality of the phone remain the same but the patent suits won goes for upgradation. Because of these copying acts of Samsung, Apple have won 1 billion for damages and that is not all it might have negative impacts on the phones already released. The android market which is having a market stake of 60 to 70 percent will lose some key functionality and also some specific features. This could also end up Samsung in redesigning and changing the features in the phones which they have already released in the market. The end customers are also in the queue up whether the battle for the smartphones will affect the functionality of the product they have bought in the market. With android markets being at stake it is hugely a question mark for Samsung to depend on such market which is highly competitive. Apple has shown the world that Samsung has copied the design and features of iphone. Apple in turn is trying the curb the android market which proves to be very competitive to the Iphone market. Apple tries to curb the manufacturers who are attached to Android market for which HTC legal cases and Samsung legal cases are a better example. Apple is tactically using its own method to slow down the android market by attacking the companies making android devices While the prospects of losing so many design and features to Apple it could just be a platform for android to try something new. This could be a push ahead move for android as they will try new things from now on and will not act as a shadow to ios. By introducing  Android 4.0 Google is trying to improvise and create a new unique operating system to support the android making companies. Since the android phones no more resemble a iphone in the market, it could be a boost to sell the new model phones in the market. The legal cases could have favoured Apple but the sales and the market value is favouring Samsung. The cases have favoured Apple but if the customer have to go away from old hat and needs a good change they have to go for a new smartphones which are using android operating system. The industry experts reckon that the android markets would boom after the complex decision from the jury come up as they conclude that the phones will have a new look and features which will attract the customers more than before. The market share of android making phones are also expected to rise with their new design and feature. The end customers are given a new glimpse of phones which is not a shadow or imitation of iphone with improved functionality and features. It gets better with wacky new designs for the customers and is proving to be a good idea for the manufacturers to try new things and new features on the phone. The law suits by apple in one form have helped the end customer to get new design and new features. This can be put in other words that there are now two different smart phones available which has different designs to excite the customer. References 1. Dan Levine Purnima gupta (2012) Reuters, 27 August [online] Available at http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/27/us-apple-samsung-legal-idUSBRE87Q02K20120827 (Accessed on 13 December 2012) 2. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/apple-iphone-violated-three-patents-damages-unclear-u-s-jury/articleshow/17604481.cms

Macbeth and Othello Essay -- Shakespeare macbeth Othello Essays

Macbeth and Othello â€Å"Upon my head they plac’d a fruitless crown And put a barren sceptre in my gripe, Thence to be wrench’d with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding† (Macbeth, III.i.62) â€Å"Renew I could not like the moon† (Timon of Athens, IV.iii.68) What distinguishes Macbeth and Othello from other tragedies is the fact that their protagonists are neither fathers nor sons, mothers nor daughters. We know nothing of Macbeth or Othello’s parents, and neither of them has children. Lady Macbeth makes a passing reference to having once â€Å"given suck† and to â€Å"how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks [her]† but never returns to the subject, and in any case, what remains impressed in one’s memory is the line that follows: â€Å"I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums and dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn† (I.vii.54). Clearly, she is not the maternal type. This is reiterated a few scenes later, with her invocation of the spirits to â€Å"unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, Stop up th’access and passage to remorse [†¦] Come to my womanâ€⠄¢s breasts And take my milk for gall (I.v.40-47).† The notion of cruelty forming inside her cannot but be likened to that of the baby that would grow there if she were not â€Å"unsexed,† as if cruelty were somehow taking the place of the foetus. There is a definite sense of this in the phrase â€Å"stopping up th’ access and passage†, as if what is being insisted upon were the prevention of either sex/conception (â€Å"access†) or childbirth (â€Å"passage†). It is as if she will bear fruit to or cultivate cruelty rather than a son or daughter—one has the distinct impression of a misused womb and... ...o all the human sons do hate From forth thy plenteous bosom, poor root. [†¦] Teem with new monsters [†¦] Dry up thy marrows† (IV.iii..178-192). For this passage encapsulates everything I have discussed so far: the notion of giving birth to monsters and monstrous deeds instead of children, the idea of obstructing the possibility of a satisfying ending and denying that of continuation (â€Å"Dry up thy marrows† distinctly recalls â€Å"stopping up th’ access and passage†), of engendering death and wiping out everything but a transient present. There is the same bitter after-taste as in the other plays, as if we had partaken of the roots Timon is forced to live on, and that same exhaustion that comes from ranting and railing and coming to no satisfying conclusion. The bed is unmade, the sheets are tangled and dirty, our voices are hoarse, and we are none the better for it.

Rationale: Learning and F-16 Falcon Paper

Rationale for Micro Teach 1 I have chosen the topic of making an F-16 falcon paper aeroplane as an ice breaking exercise; this will create a fun atmosphere and will help build a good working rapport with my students helping the students to relax making the learning environment a lot more comfortable, which in turn will aid learning. Equal opportunities are met by this topic and the method is not gender, ethical, moral or socially biased.This initial lesson will help me gain an understanding of the student’s practical skill capabilities. A practical first lesson will help me visually assess student’s ability to work with equipment and to follow simple instructions, as students progress through the harder stages of the demonstration, some students will pick up the skill almost immediately whilst others may struggle informing me of the levels that these students will learn at. Kolb learning cycle will help the students to achieve the final product.Through the actual proces s of creating the plane, students would be having concrete experience. Students will be able to observe and reflect at each stage helping them to perform each step at a time. Students will then be able to learn from the experience (Abstract Conceptualisation), through trial and error on the harder stages. Finally they will be making the final product and testing it, which refers back to the original concrete experience.The use of PowerPoint to demonstrate the processes involved will be aimed towards the learners who learn via the cognitive domain, these learners work from visual knowledge by applying the instructions. This will be white writing on a blue background to help aid any learners with dyslexia as this is a preferred visual style. Psychomotor domain learners will have the most benefit throughout the actual process of making the plane; these learners can then visually see the processes involved and will immediately be able to mimic the actions involved.There will be an under lying of the cognitive domain for these type learners to help reflect. I will have a pre-made product to show the class as an example, this type of resource can be passed around the class for all to see the method used in construction. I am able to offer assistance to those pupils who I feel may lack in confidence with practical activities, as this type of exercise will allow me to move around the classroom and see learners progress on a one to one basis.The affective domain learners will gain from personal tuition, and in return will be able to complete this exercise. As I go from person to person giving advice and hands on help, I can also mentally assess those learners in the other two domains as I see them progress. My learning objectives will be: These are obtainable and I will know that they have been achieved by the end of the lesson, through the learners answering questions and once learners have successfully made the F-16.As this is my first teaching experience I will be ne rvous but will teach with confidence, I have thoroughly researched this topic, and therefore have a strong basis of the topic being taught. Learners will see that I have a great knowledge of the subject and this will be portrayed throughout the lesson. I will achieve this by having correct posture, effective body language, and will use eye contact; I will use my voice to maintain a steady pace so that my language will flow. Whatever happens you need to cultivate a confident exterior, even if it is something of an act and you are feeling far from assured inside. † (Capel, Leask & Turner 2005)References Capel, S & Leask, M & Turner, T 2005, Learning to teach in the secondary school: a companion to school experience, London ; Routledge Kolb learning cycle [Online]. Available from : http://www. ldu. leeds. ac. uk/ldu/sddu_multimedia/kolb/kolb_flash. htm District, F D A C C 2010. Learning Domains [Online]. Available from : http://pixel. fhda. edu/id/learning_domain. html

Fight Club Essay

In the movie â€Å"Fight Club† is about the narrator, Jack’s, fantasy of an alternate reality, his personal shadow. Tyler Durden represents Jack’s unconscious collective shadow. Jack, the protagonist, has a meaningless, boring and empty life, and suffers from insomnia. Jack tries to lend color to his insignificant life by purchasing new commodities like his furniture which are the fetish items of the narrator and they provide him with more meaningful existence. Jack has a dull life and he could not find any time for his hobbies due to his busy business life. He has no girlfriend or even a close friend. He does nothing to have fun and he suppresses all his instincts for pleasure in his unconscious. Although he is not happy about his life, every morning he wakes up, goes to work and travels frequently. He suffers from insomnia because he is suppressing his shadow. Later, he finds the idea of participating in cancer and disease support groups. Jack lacks the courage to confront his shadow. Instead, Jack indentifies with her persona, the role the world expects him to play. As the movie progresses Jack gradually begins to become aware of his shadow, and how it motivates his behavior. It is only by doing so that he begins the process of self-realization. One criticism that will be made is that the movie depicts a superficial and incomplete process of self-realization. â€Å"Jung considers the confrontation with the shadow, with one’s own evil, to be of the great psychological value. Understanding something about one’s shadow side is the beginning of self-knowledge. Without the realization of the shadow all real further psychological progress is blocked† (34). As I mentioned before, Tyler Durden is the collective unconscious side of Jack. In other words, Tyler represents the shadow of the narrator in â€Å"political confrontation†. Jack projects onto Tyler, the enemy side, which we view as hopelessly corrupt, sadistic, vindictive, and inhuman. â€Å"The collective shadow, viewed as a component of the collective unconscious, is the archetype of collective evil and can be represented by such archetypal images as the Devil, the Enemy, the Bad Guys, and the Evil Empire† (33-4). Tyler slowly begins to take control away from the narrator. The narrator gets pleasure from Tyler’s crazy, uncontrolled behaviors because Tyler does the things that the narrator imagines doing unconsciously, but was unable to do because of ociety pressure, which encouraged repressing his desires. Jung states, â€Å"Your shadow, the imperfect being in you that follows after and does everything which you are loath to do, all the things you are too cowardly or too decent to do† (35). The narrator gets pleasure from these anarchistic behaviors. Tyler also destroys the narrator’s house in order to prevent him from continuing his virtual life. Then, Tyler initiates a reaction like Jung’s shadow conception, full of violence and sexuality. He manifests his violence and forms an underground boxing club called Fight Club. Hopeless people like Bob who has testicular cancer and many other people who are not happy about their lives, which are full of suppressed emotions and societal pressures, join Fight Club. Tyler also satisfies his sexual instincts with Marla whereas the narrator fails to do so. Tyler becomes a cult hero and he even manages to get paid without ever going to work because of the shadow’s charisma, self-confidence and revolutionary aspect. However, after a while we start to realize the negative effects of the shadow. The shadow, Tyler Durden, takes control completely and he gets out of balance. Fight Club becomes an anarchistic group and Tyler prepares a big plan (Project Mayhem) for destroying all the banks, financial sector buildings. Tyler is thus transformed into a public enemy who wants to destroy the capitalist system. In the movie, Tyler says, â€Å"It is only when you have lost everything, you are free to do anything†. He wants to live in a primitive society in which everyone has nothing and everyone is equal. This feeling comes to his mind because of the influence of the shadow archetype. As Jung mentioned, archetypes are characteristics that reflect our primitive nature. Tyler rants, â€Å"You are not your job, you are not your money in your bank account†. The shadow becomes very destructive, violent and dangerous as Tyler clearly becomes a monster who threatens society. Tyler sees society and the capitalist system as his enemies. Tyler shows us exactly all the aspects of Jung’s shadow concept: violence, sexuality, self-confidence, charisma, courage, madness and a lack of balance. What makes Tyler so strong is the narrator’s error in repressing his shadow for such a long time. After a period, the narrator understands that his conscious mind was taken over for a while and he begins to fight Tyler. He gets rid of Tyler in the last scene by shooting himself and thus by metaphorically reducing the influence of the shadow, Tyler in his mind. The narrator thus achieves a new psychical balance and gets rid of his shadow Tyler Durden. Jung explains, â€Å"Consequently, the murder of the hero represents the need for change, for a ‘revaluation of earlier values,’ at midlife. The shadow figures of savage and dwarf represents the murderous energy as well as the insight, the shadow wisdom, needed to kill the hero and to transcend a youthful heroic attitude toward life†.

Music Therapy Research Paper Example

Music Therapy Research Paper Example Music Therapy Paper Music Therapy Paper Professor Yankee 11/19/12 Music Therapy Why do people use this type of therapy exactly? Well music has been used as medicine for thousands of years and theres a growing field of health care known as music therapy, which uses music to heal. Those who practice music therapy find benefits in using it to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others, and even hospitals are beginning to use music therapy to help with pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to improve communication, to ease muscle tension, and for many other benefits that music and music therapy can bring. A lot of people dont understand what kind of therapy this is, people have different assumptions about it but it is a real profession that takes a bachelor music degree. Music therapists work with a variety of physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms. It is often used in cancer treatment to help reduce pain, anxiety, and nausea caused by chemotherapy. Some people believe music therapy may be beneficial to the health care of children with cancer by promoting social interaction and cooperation. There is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, rapid heart beat, depression, and sleeplessness. There are no claims music therapy can cure cancer or other diseases, but medical experts do believe it can reduce some symptoms, aid healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient’s quality of life. Ancient Greek philosophers believed music could heal both body and mind, Native Americans used singing and chants to heal millennia. More formal approaches begin in World War two when hospitals started using music to help soldiers with shell shock. In 1944, Michigan State University established the first music therapy degree program in the world. Music therapists design music sessions for individuals and groups based on their needs and tastes. Some aspects of music therapy include making music, listening to music, writing songs, and talking about lyrics. Music therapy may also involve imagery and learning through music. It can be done in different places such as hospitals, cancer centers, at home, or anywhere people can benefit from its calming or stimulating effects. The patient does ot need to have any musical ability to benefit from music therapy. Most peoples reaction to music is a burst of energy upon hearing an upbeat song or a sense of calm during a soothing classical piece. Music therapy uses this connection between music and mood. It has also been shown to lower amounts of the hormone cortisol, which becomes elevated under stress, and to increase the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good hormones. Researchers have found that music therapy, when used with anti-nausea drugs for patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy, can help ease nausea and vomiting. A number of clinical trials have shown the benefit of music therapy for short-term pain, including pain from cancer. Music therapy works by stimulating parts of the brain that are associated with music in a person with Alzheimer’s disease, the section of the brain that allows direct recall of memories is damaged. Musical memories, however, are associated not only with the music itself but also with the circumstances surrounding the musical experience. Listening to music can indirectly stimulate the recall of memory fragments that otherwise could not be retrieved. The ability to retrieve some memories can be comforting to people with dementia. In a different manner, music therapy can assist those with Parkinson’s disease. In a person with Parkinson’s, the part of the brain that organizes thoughts and movements into action is damaged. Music with a strong, rhythmic beat can stimulate motor control, movement and coordination. Studies show that gait training that uses music improves walking speed and coordination for people with Parkinson’s. In general, music therapy done under the care of a professionally trained therapist has a helpful effect and is considered safe when used with standard treatment. Musical intervention by untrained people can be ineffective or can even cause increased stress and discomfort. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences. Besides that there are no real risks or dangers to using music to heal. But how far can music heal you? There was a study that examined 200-300 patients with diabetes participants in a three year study starting this April. Although we do know that music can help vasculature, mental states and mood, there is little to no evidence to suggest that music therapy will help the outcome of diabetes. Perhaps there will be some miraculous benefit for patients suffering from diabetes to engage in extreme music therapy, however previous research indicates that it is not the music itself that determines the benefits, but the emotional responses to the music that is the key. Even though there is little evidence to support that music will help diabetes. Scientific studies have shown the value of music therapy on the body, mind, and spirit of children and adults. Researchers have found that music therapy, when used with anti-nausea drugs for patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy, can help ease nausea and vomiting. A number of clinical trials have shown the benefit of music therapy for short-term pain, including pain from cancer. Some studies have suggested that music may help decrease the overall intensity of the patient’s experience of pain when used with pain-relieving drugs. Music therapy can also result in a decreased need for pain medicine in some patients, although studies on this topic have shown mixed results. Studies have shown that students who take music lessons have improved IQ levels, and show improvement in nonmusical abilities as well. Other studies have shown that listening to music composed by Mozart produces a short-term improvement in tasks that use spatial abilities. Studies of brain circulation have shown that people listening to Mozart have more activity in certain areas of the brain. This has been called the â€Å"Mozart effect. † Although the reasons for this effect are not completely clear, this kind of information supports the idea that music can be used in many helpful ways. What can be improved ? Verbal nonverbal communication, Gross and fine motor movement,Range of motion, Relaxation techniques, Anger management skills, Expression of emotion, Sensory integration, Academic skills, and Leisure skills. We use music to make your life better. Whether you need help socially, cognitively, physically, emotionally, or developmentally, music can help you get better and music therapists trained on how to do that. What’s more interesting, though, is why it works. When used properly, music can be an incredibly powerful treatment tool. And not just because it’s fun, relaxing, and motivating, but because music has a profound impact on our brains and our bodies. First off music is the core function of our brains, we have physiologic responses to music,Our brain is primed early on to respond to and process music. Every time your breathing quickens, your heart-rate increases, or you feel a shiver down your spine, that’s your body responding physiologically to music. Qualified music therapists can use this to help stimulate a person in a coma or use music to effectively help someone relax. Music often has a predictable steady beat, organized phrases, and a structured form. Most country/folk/pop/rock songs, they’re often organized with a verse-chorus structure. They’re organized in a way that we like and enjoy listening to over and over again. Even sound waves that make up a single tone or an entire chord are organized in mathematical ratios–and our brains really like this predictability and structure. Music is in our everyday lives, we hear it in the store, at school, church, music is part of our thoughts, how we speak, even when theres none around we can still it in our heads. With all these benefits that music can carry, its no surprise that music therapy is growing in popularity. Many hospitals are using music therapists for pain management and other uses. Music therapists help with several other issues as well, including stress. While music therapy is an important discipline, you can also achieve many benefits from music on your own. Music can be used in daily life for relaxation, to gain energy when feeling drained, for catharsis when dealing with emotional stress, and in other ways as well. Music therapy has been proven to be an effective form of therapy in a variety of areas for a multitude of ailments. However, there is still much more theorizing, discussion, and research that needs to be done in this area, and that fact makes it all the more interesting. Through technological advances and constantly evolving musical styles as well as cross-cultural influences, this is one form of therapy that will never cease to be innovative and topical. Hopefully, researchers will continue to treat this topic as a serious area of psychology and one that deserves to be molded into a more scientific pedagogy through advancement and refinement of research and therapeutic techniques. I believe there is much more to be discovered about music and its effect on humanity.

Farewell to Arms essays

Farewell to Arms essays Ernest Hemingways novel A Farewell to Arms uses nature to provide symbols that foreshadow events and also replace human emotion. In Hemingway the symbols are implicit; they follow the laws of reality to such a degree that in themselves form a whole, full-blooded stories (Bjorneboe). The replacement of emotions with symbols allows Hemingway to frequently understate what is really going on in the action. The symbols are used repeatedly therefore unifying the book and at points the reader even knows what the weather is going to be like. In A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway portrays his points through the natural symbols of rain, mountains, and plains. Throughout A Farewell to Arms, rain is used not as a symbol of life but as a recurring symbol of death and despair. The inexorable march of tragic warning which is echoed in the imagery, the rain(Rovit 105). This is a rain associated with darkness, mud, and death. In A Farewell to Arms the dominant state of mind- the sense of death, defeat, failure, nothingness, emptiness- is conveyed chiefly by the image of rain with all its tonal associates, mist, wetness, dampness, river, and fog(Schneider 286). Hemingway uses rain to foreshadow the coming of war. As winter came to an end and the snows change to rain the fighting commences. After a great battle the soldiers come home wet and muddy with a look of death upon their faces. The retreat begins, orderly, wet and sullen, with troops marching under the rain(Schneider 294). The rains also foreshadow Fredericks relationship with Catherine. It is not until March when it begins to rain and that old failure and bitterness threatens to shatter the lovers happiness (Schneider 296). The rains relentlessly follow the lovers wherever they go, and are present when the two lovers try to escape the army by rowing across the lake. The rain, which they have become to r...

120 College Essay Examples for 14 Schools + Expert Analysis

120 College Essay Examples for 14 Schools + Expert Analysis SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The personal statement might just be the hardest part of your college application. Mostly this is because it has the least guidance and is the most open-ended. One way to understand what colleges are looking for when they ask you to write an essay is to check out the essays of students who already got in- college essays that actually worked. After all, they must be among the most successful of this weird literary genre. In this article, I'll go through general guidelines for what makes great college essays great. I've also compiled an enormous list of 100+ actual sample college essays from 14 different schools. Finally, I'll break down two of these published college essay examples and explain why and how they work. With links to 120 full essays and essay excerpts, this article will be a great resource for learning how to craft your own personal college admissions essay! What Excellent College Essays Have in Common Even though in many ways these sample college essays are very different from one other, they do share some traits you should try to emulate as you write your own essay. Visible Signs of Planning Building out from a narrow, concrete focus. You'll see a similar structure in many of the essays. The author starts with a very detailed story of an event or description of a person or place. After this sense-heavy imagery, the essay expands out to make a broader point about the author, and connects this very memorable experience to the author's present situation, state of mind, newfound understanding, or maturity level. Knowing how to tell a story. Some of the experiences in these essays are one-of-a-kind. But most deal with the stuff of everyday life. What sets them apart is the way the author approaches the topic: analyzing it for drama and humor, for its moving qualities, for what it says about the author's world, and for how it connects to the author's emotional life. Stellar Execution A killer first sentence. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: you have to suck the reader in, and the best place to do that is the first sentence. Great first sentences are punchy. They are like cliffhangers, setting up an exciting scene or an unusual situation with an unclear conclusion, in order to make the reader want to know more. Don't take my word for it- check out these 22 first sentences from Stanford applicants and tell me you don't want to read the rest of those essays to find out what happens! A lively, individual voice. Writing is for readers. In this case, your reader is an admissions officer who has read thousands of essays before yours and will read thousands after. Your goal? Don't bore your reader. Use interesting descriptions, stay away from clichà ©s, include your own offbeat observations- anything that makes this essay sounds like you and not like anyone else. Enchanted Prince Stan decided to stay away from any frog-kissing princesses to retain his unique perspective on ruling as an amphibian. Technical correctness. No spelling mistakes, no grammar weirdness, no syntax issues, no punctuation snafus- each of these sample college essays has been formatted and proofread perfectly. If this kind of exactness is not your strong suit, you're in luck! All colleges advise applicants to have their essays looked over several times by parents, teachers, mentors, and anyone else who can spot a comma splice. Your essay must be your own work, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help polishing it. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: Links to Full College Essay Examples Some colleges publish a selection of their favorite accepted college essays that worked, and I've put together a selection of over 100 of these (plus some essay excerpts!). Common App Essay Samples Please note that some of these college essay examples may be responding to prompts that are no longer in use. The current Common App prompts are as follows: 1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma- anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.6. Descri be a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? 7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. Connecticut College 15 Common Application essays from the classes of 2019-2022 Hamilton College 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2022 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2018 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2012 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2007 Johns Hopkins These essays are answers to past prompts from either the Common Application or the Universal Application, both of which Johns Hopkins accepts. 7 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2022 5 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2021 7 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2020 8 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2019 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2018 Tufts University 4 Common Application essays Essay Examples Published by Other Websites 7 Common Application essays from applicants admitted to Stanford, Duke, Connecticut College, NYU, Carleton College, Washington University, and the University of Pennsylvania 2 Common Application essays (1st essay, 2nd essay) from applicants admitted to Columbia Other Sample College Essays Here is a smaller collection of essays that are college-specific, plus 22 essay excerpts that will add fuel to your essay-writing fire. Smith College Each year, Smith asks its applicants to answer a different prompt with a 200-word essay. Here are six of these short essays answering the 2014 prompt: "Tell us about the best gift you've ever given or received." 6 "best gift" essays from the class of 2018 Tufts University On top of the Common Application essays students submit, Tufts asks applicants to answer three short essay questions: two mandatory, and one chosen from six prompts. 8 "Why Tufts?" short essays 6 "Let Your Life Speak" essays 8 chosen prompt essays Books of College Essays If you're looking for even more sample college essays, consider purchasing a college essay book. The best of these include dozens of essays that worked and feedback from real admissions officers. College Essays That Made a Difference- This detailed guide from Princeton Review includes not only successful essays, but also interviews with admissions officers and full student profiles. 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson- A must for anyone aspiring to Harvard. 50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays and 50 Successful Stanford Application Essays by Gen and Kelly Tanabe- For essays from other top schools, check out this venerated series, which is regularly updated with new essays. Heavenly Essays by Janine W. Robinson- This collection from the popular blogger behind Essay Hell includes a wider range of schools, as well as helpful tips on honing your own essay. Analyzing Great Common App Essays That Worked I've picked two essays from the examples collected above to examine in more depth so that you can see exactly what makes a successful college essay work. Full credit for these essays goes to the original authors and the schools that published them. Example 1: "Breaking Into Cars," by Stephen, Johns Hopkins Class of '19 (Common App Essay, 636 words long) I had never broken into a car before. We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van. Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back. "Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?" "Why me?" I thought. More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation. My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing- all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill- you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. "The water's on fire! Clear a hole!" he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I'm still unconvinced about that particular lesson's practicality, my Dad's overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns. Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don't sweat the small stuff, and I definitely don't expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night. But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me. I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, defenseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt. Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?" The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me. Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence. What Makes This Essay Tick? It's very helpful to take writing apart in order to see just how it accomplishes its objectives. Stephen's essay is very effective. Let's find out why! An Opening Line That Draws You In I had never broken into a car before. In just eight words, we get: scene-setting (he is standing next to a car about to break in), the idea of crossing a boundary (he is maybe about to do an illegal thing for the first time), and a cliffhanger (we are thinking: is he going to get caught? Is he headed for a life of crime? Is he about to be scared straight?). Great, Detailed Opening Story We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van. Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back. "Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?" "Why me?" I thought. More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. It's the details that really make this small experience come alive. Notice how whenever he can, Stephen uses a more specific, descriptive word in place of a more generic one. The volunteers aren't going to get food or dinner; they're going for "Texas BBQ." The coat hanger comes from "a dumpster." Stephen doesn't just move the coat hanger- he "jiggles" it. Details also help us visualize the emotions of the people in the scene. The person who hands Stephen the coat hanger isn't just uncomfortable or nervous; he "takes a few steps back"- a description of movement that conveys feelings. Finally, the detail of actual speech makes the scene pop. Instead of writing that the other guy asked him to unlock the van, Stephen has the guy actually say his own words in a way that sounds like a teenager talking. Coat hangers: not just for crows' nests anymore! (Gà ¶tz/Wikimedia) Turning a Specific Incident Into a Deeper Insight Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation. Stephen makes the locked car experience a meaningful illustration of how he has learned to be resourceful and ready for anything, and he also makes this turn from the specific to the broad through an elegant play on the two meanings of the word "click." Using Concrete Examples When Making Abstract Claims My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing- all meant my house was functioning normally. "Unpredictability and chaos" are very abstract, not easily visualized concepts. They could also mean any number of things- violence, abandonment, poverty, mental instability. By instantly following up with highly finite and unambiguous illustrations like "family of seven" and "siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing," Stephen grounds the abstraction in something that is easy to picture: a large, noisy family. Using Small Bits of Humor and Casual Word Choice My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill- you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. Obviously, knowing how to clean burning oil is not high on the list of things every 9-year-old needs to know. To emphasize this, Stephen uses sarcasm by bringing up a situation that is clearly over-the-top: "in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed." The humor also feels relaxed. Part of this is because he introduces it with the colloquial phrase "you know," so it sounds like he is talking to us in person. This approach also diffuses the potential discomfort of the reader with his father's strictness- since he is making jokes about it, clearly he is OK. Notice, though, that this doesn't occur very much in the essay. This helps keep the tone meaningful and serious rather than flippant. "Mr. President? There's been an oil spill!" "Then I want our best elementary school students on it, STAT." An Ending That Stretches the Insight Into the Future But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?" The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me. Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence. The ending of the essay reveals that Stephen's life has been one long preparation for the future. He has emerged from chaos and his dad's approach to parenting as a person who can thrive in a world that he can't control. This connection of past experience to current maturity and self-knowledge is a key element in all successful personal essays. Colleges are very much looking for mature, self-aware applicants. These are the qualities of successful college students, who will be able to navigate the independence college classes require and the responsibility and quasi-adulthood of college life. What Could This Essay Do Even Better? Even the best essays aren't perfect, and even the world's greatest writers will tell you that writing is never "finished"- just "due." So what would we tweak in this essay if we could? Replace some of the clichà ©d language. Stephen uses handy phrases like "twists and turns" and "don't sweat the small stuff" as a kind of shorthand for explaining his relationship to chaos and unpredictability. But using too many of these ready-made expressions runs the risk of clouding out your own voice and replacing it with something expected and boring. Use another example from recent life. Stephen's first example (breaking into the van in Laredo) is a great illustration of being resourceful in an unexpected situation. But his essay also emphasizes that he "learned to adapt" by being "different things to different people." It would be great to see how this plays out outside his family, either in the situation in Laredo or another context. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Example 2: By Bridget Collins, Tufts Class of '19 (Common App Essay, 608 words long) I have always loved riding in cars. After a long day in first grade, I used to fall asleep to the engine purring in my mother's Honda Odyssey, even though it was only a 5-minute drive home. As I grew, and graduated into the shotgun seat, it became natural and enjoyable to look out the window. Seeing my world passing by through that smudged glass, I would daydream what I could do with it. In elementary school, I already knew my career path: I was going to be Emperor of the World. While I sat in the car and watched the miles pass by, I developed the plan for my empire. I reasoned that, for the world to run smoothly, it would have to look presentable. I would assign people, aptly named Fixer-Uppers, to fix everything that needed fixing. That old man down the street with chipping paint on his house would have a fresh coat in no time. The boy who accidentally tossed his Frisbee onto the roof of the school would get it back. The big pothole on Elm Street that my mother managed to hit every single day on the way to school would be filled-in. It made perfect sense! All the people that didn't have a job could be Fixer-Uppers. I was like a ten-year-old FDR. Seven years down the road, I still take a second glance at the sidewalk cracks and think of my Fixer-Uppers, but now I'm doing so from the driver's seat. As much as I would enjoy it, I now accept that I won't become Emperor of the World, and that the Fixer-Uppers will have to remain in my car ride imaginings. Or do they? I always pictured a Fixer-Upper as a smiling man in an orange T-Shirt. Maybe instead, a Fixer-Upper could be a tall girl with a deep love for Yankee Candles. Maybe it could be me. Bridget the Fixer-Upper will be slightly different than the imaginary one who paints houses and fetches Frisbees. I was lucky enough to discover what I am passionate about when I was a freshman in high school. A self-admitted Phys. Ed. addict, I volunteered to help out with the Adapted PE class. On my first day, I learned that it was for developmentally-disabled students. To be honest, I was really nervous. I hadn't had too much interaction with special needs students before, and wasn't sure how to handle myself around them. Long story short, I got hooked. Three years have passed helping out in APE and eventually becoming a teacher in the Applied Behavior Analysis summer program. I love working with the students and watching them progress. When senior year arrived, college meetings began, and my counselor asked me what I wanted to do for a career, I didn't say Emperor of the World. Instead, I told him I wanted to become a board-certified behavior analyst. A BCBA helps develop learning plans for students with autism and other disabilities. Basically, I would get to do what I love for the rest of my life. He laughed and told me that it was a nice change that a seventeen-year-old knew so specifically what she wanted to do. I smiled, thanked him, and left. But it occurred to me that, while my desired occupation was decided, my true goal in life was still to become a Fixer-Upper. So, maybe I'll be like Sue Storm and her alter-ego, the Invisible Woman. I'll do one thing during the day, then spend my off-hours helping people where I can. Instead of flying like Sue, though, I'll opt for a nice performance automobile. My childhood self would appreciate that. What Makes This Essay Tick? Bridget takes a somewhat different approach than Stephen, but her essay is just as detailed and engaging. Let's go through some of the strengths of her essay. A Structure That's Easy to Follow and Understand The essay is arranged chronologically. Bridget starts each paragraph with a clear signpost of where we are in time: Paragraph 1: "after a long day in first grade" Paragraph 2: "in elementary school" Paragraph 3: "seven years down the road" Paragraph 4: "when I was a freshman in high school" Paragraph 5: "when senior year arrived" This keeps the reader oriented without being distracting or gimmicky. One Clear Governing Metaphor I would assign people, aptly named Fixer-Uppers, to fix everything that needed fixing. That old man down the street with chipping paint on his house would have a fresh coat in no time. The boy who accidentally tossed his Frisbee onto the roof of the school would get it back. †¦ Seven years down the road, I still take a second glance at the sidewalk cracks and think of my Fixer-Uppers, but now I'm doing so from the driver's seat. As much as I would enjoy it, I now accept that I won't become Emperor of the World, and that the Fixer-Uppers will have to remain in my car ride imaginings. Or do they? I always pictured a Fixer-Upper as a smiling man in an orange T-Shirt. Maybe instead, a Fixer-Upper could be a tall girl with a deep love for Yankee Candles. Maybe it could be me. †¦ I wanted to become a board-certified behavior analyst. A BCBA helps develop learning plans for students with autism and other disabilities. Basically, I would get to do what I love for the rest of my life. †¦But it occurred to me that, while my desired occupation was decided, my true goal in life was still to become a Fixer-Upper. What makes this essay fun to read is that Bridget takes a child's idea of a world made better through quasi-magical helpers and turns it into a metaphor for the author's future aspirations. It helps that the metaphor is a very clear one: people who work with students with disabilities are making the world better one abstract fix at a time, just like imaginary Fixer-Uppers would make the world better one concrete physical fix at a time. Every childhood Fixer-Upper ever. Ask your parents to explain the back row to you. (JD Hancock/Flickr) An Engaging, Individual Voice This essay uses many techniques that make Bridget sound genuine and make the reader feel like we already know her. Technique #1: humor. Notice Bridget's gentle and relaxed humor that lightly mocks her younger self's grand ambitions (this is different from the more sarcastic kind of humor used by Stephen in the first essay- you could never mistake one writer for the other). In elementary school, I already knew my career path: I was going to be Emperor of the World. I was like a ten-year-old FDR. Technique #2: invented terminology. The second technique is the way Bridget coins her own terms, carrying them through the whole essay. It would be easy enough to simply describe the people she imagined in childhood as helpers or assistants, and to simply say that as a child she wanted to rule the world. Instead, she invents the capitalized (and thus official-sounding) titles "Fixer-Upper" and "Emperor of the World," making these childish conceits at once charming and iconic. What's also key is that the titles feed into the central metaphor of the essay, which keeps them from sounding like strange quirks that don't go anywhere. Technique #3: playing with syntax. The third technique is to use sentences of varying length, syntax, and structure. Most of the essay's written in standard English and uses grammatically correct sentences. However, at key moments, Bridget emphasizes that the reader needs to sit up and pay attention by switching to short, colloquial, differently punctuated, and sometimes fragmented sentences. The big pothole on Elm Street that my mother managed to hit every single day on the way to school would be filled-in. It made perfect sense! All the people that didn't have a job could be Fixer-Uppers. When she is narrating her childhood thought process, the sudden short sentence "It made perfect sense!" (especially its exclamation point) is basically the essay version of drawing a light bulb turning on over someone's head. As much as I would enjoy it, I now accept that I won't become Emperor of the World, and that the Fixer-Uppers will have to remain in my car ride imaginings. Or do they? Similarly, when the essay turns from her childhood imagination to her present-day aspirations, the turn is marked with "Or do they?"- a tiny and arresting half-sentence question. Maybe instead, a Fixer-Upper could be a tall girl with a deep love for Yankee Candles. Maybe it could be me. The first time when the comparison between magical fixer-upper's and the future disability specialist is made is when Bridget turns her metaphor onto herself. The essay emphasizes the importance of the moment through repetition (two sentences structured similarly, both starting with the word "maybe") and the use of a very short sentence: "Maybe it could be me." To be honest, I was really nervous. I hadn't had too much interaction with special needs students before, and wasn't sure how to handle myself around them. Long story short, I got hooked. The last key moment that gets the small-sentence treatment is the emotional crux of the essay. As we watch Bridget go from nervously trying to help disabled students to falling in love with this specialty field, she undercuts the potential sappiness of the moment by relying on changed-up sentence length and slang: "Long story short, I got hooked." The best essays convey emotions just as clearly as this image. What Could This Essay Do Even Better? Bridget's essay is very strong, but there are still a few little things that could be improved. Explain the car connection better. The essay begins and ends with Bridget's enjoying a car ride, but this doesn't seem to be related either to the Fixer-Upper idea or to her passion for working with special-needs students. It would be great to either connect this into the essay more, or to take it out altogether and create more space for something else. Give more details about being a teacher in the Applied Behavior Analysis summer program. It makes perfect sense that Bridget doesn't want to put her students on display. It would take the focus off of her and possibly read as offensive or condescending. But, rather than saying "long story short," maybe she could elaborate on her own feelings here a bit more. What is it about this kind of teaching that she loves? What is she hoping to bring to the lives of her future clients? Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: 3 Essential Tips for Writing Your Own Essay How can you use this discussion to better your own college essay? Here are some suggestions for ways to use this resource effectively. #1: Read Other Essays to Get Ideas for Your Own As you go through the essays we've compiled for you above, ask yourself the following questions: Can you explain to yourself (or someone else!) why the opening sentence works well? Look for the essay's detailed personal anecdote. What senses is the author describing? Can you easily picture the scene in your mind's eye? Find the place where this anecdote bridges into a larger insight about the author. How does the essay connect the two? How does the anecdote work as an example of the author's characteristic, trait, or skill? Check out the essay's tone. If it's funny, can you find the places where the humor comes from? If it's sad and moving, can you find the imagery and description of feelings that make you moved? If it's serious, can you see how word choice adds to this tone? Make a note whenever you find an essay or part of an essay that you think was particularly well-written, and think about what you like about it. Is it funny? Does it help you really get to know the writer? Does it show what makes the writer unique? Once you have your list, keep it next to you while writing your essay to remind yourself to try and use those same techniques in your own essay. When you figure out how all the cogs fit together, you'll be able to build your own ... um ... whatever this is. #2: Find Your "A-Ha!" Moment All of these essays rely on connecting with the reader through a heartfelt, highly descriptive scene from the author's life. It can either be very dramatic (did you survive a plane crash?) or it can be completely mundane (did you finally beat your dad at Scrabble?). Either way, it should be personal and revealing about you, your personality, and the way you are now that you are entering the adult world. Check out essays by authors like John Jeremiah Sullivan, Leslie Jamison, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Esmà © Weijun Wang to get more example of how to craft a compelling personal narrative. #3: Start Early, Revise Often Let me level with you: the best writing isn't writing at all. It's rewriting. And in order to have time to rewrite, you have to start way before the application deadline. My advice is to write your first draft at least two months before your applications are due. Let it sit for a few days untouched. Then come back to it with fresh eyes and think critically about what you've written. What's extra? What's missing? What is in the wrong place? What doesn't make sense? Don't be afraid to take it apart and rearrange sections. Do this several times over, and your essay will be much better for it! For more editing tips, check out a style guide like Dreyer's English or Eats, Shoots Leaves. What's Next? Interested in learning more about college essays? Check out our detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application, some suggestions on what to avoid when writing your essay, and our guide to writing about your extracurricular activities. Working on the rest of your application? Read what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: The recommendations in this post are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Dr. Anna Wulick About the Author Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. No spam ever. hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: '360031', formId: '2167ba30-e68e-4777-b88d-8bf3c84579af', formInstanceId: '2', submitButtonClass: 'btn-red-light btn', target: '#hubspot-container2', redirectUrl: 'http://ww2.prepscholar.com/blog-subscribe-thank-you', css: '.post-bottom .hs-form.stacked label {display:none;} .post-bottom .hs-form.stacked .field div.input {padding-top: 55px; padding-left: 300px;} .post-bottom .hs-input {width: 220px} .post-bottom .btn-primary, .hs-button.primary {margin-top:0px; padding-left:350px} .post-bottom .hs-form-field {margin-bottom:5px}' }); $(function(){ $(".exclusive-tip-form #hubspot-container2 label").hide(); }); function replace_tag(a, b){ $(a).each(function(index) { var thisTD = this; var newElement = $(""); $.each(this.attributes, function(index) { $(newElement).attr(thisTD.attributes[index].name, thisTD.attributes[index].value); }); $(this).after(newElement).remove(); }); } $(function(){ replace_tag($(".posts-by-topic h3"), "h2"); }) Ask a Question BelowHave any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply! Search the Blog Search jQuery(function(){ var $ = jQuery; var url = 'http://google.com/search?q=site:' + location.protocol + '//' + location.hostname + ' '; var $searchModule = $('.hs-search-module.07fb04ad-40a7-4864-ab03-2938ba9e986d'); var $input = $searchModule.find('input'); var $button = $searchModule.find('.hs-button.primary'); if (false) { $input.val(decodeURIComponent(location.pathname.split('/').join(' ').split('.').join(' ').split('-').join(' ').split('_').join(''))); } $button.click(function(){ var newUrl = url + $input.val(); var win = window.open(newUrl, '_blank'); if (win) { //Browser has allowed it to be opened win.focus(); } else { //Browser has blocked it location.href = newUrl; } }); $input.keypress(function(e){ if (e.keyCode !== 13) return; e.preventDefault(); $button.click(); }); }); Improve With Our Famous Guides SATPrep ACTPrep For All Students The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section: Score 800 on SAT Math Score 800 on SAT Reading Score 800 on SAT Writing Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section: Score 600 on SAT Math Score 600 on SAT Reading Score 600 on SAT Writing Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? 15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section: 36 on ACT English 36 on ACT Math 36 on ACT Reading 36 on ACT Science Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section: 24 on ACT English 24 on ACT Math 24 on ACT Reading 24 on ACT Science What ACT target score should you be aiming for? ACT Vocabulary You Must Know ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA How to Write an Amazing College Essay What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For? Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide Should you retake your SAT or ACT? When should you take the SAT or ACT? Michael improved by 370 POINTS! Find Out How Stay Informed Get the latest articles and test prep tips! Looking for Graduate School Test Prep? Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: GRE Online Prep Blog GMAT Online Prep Blog TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Discussion Board Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Discussion Board - Coursework Example The presence of the spirit, sent by God, gave the people guidelines on behavior, and consequently replaced the law. It was greater than the law and prophets, and their divine teachings to Christians. The day is important because it actually marked the day manifested himself to the people through a spirit (Bacchiocchi, 1996). Although the Day of Pentecost is not as popular as Easter or Christmas, it is important because it commemorated the beginning of the church. It memorializes the coming of the Holy Spirit on the early followers of Jesus. Although there were believers and followers of Jesus Christ, ‘the church’ gained recognition after the Day of Pentecost. The Pentecost provides both a historical and spiritual relevance and is the church birthday. Historically, it is the day Christians and believers started the church. Spiritually, it is the day the Holy Spirit appeared and gave the church

Benefit Plan Design Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Benefit Plan Design Analysis - Essay Example However, it has been identified that despite several competitive employee benefit programs, American Airlines Incorporation has certain lacuna in its benefit plan. The issue associated in the benefit plan is that the company does not allow its employees to travel free of cost until and unless they have completed a period of ten years with the American Airline Association. The company also seems to be lacking in providing the other benefit plans in comparison to its competitors such as SouthWest Airways, Delta (AACareers, 2010). There are many cases filed against the company’s benefit plan such as ‘Robert T.Miller Appellant V. American Airlines, Inc,; American Airlines, Inc., Pilot Retirement Benefit Program Fixed Income Plan (A Plan); American Airlines, Inc Pension Benefits Administration Committee under case number 10-1784 on 1/25/2011’ (Third Judicial Circuit, 2011). The other case filed against the company has been ‘George W. BONIN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v . AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC. and the American Airlines, Inc. ... Part Three: Literature Review Role of Benefit Plan in an Organization The reliability and the accuracy of the benefit program depend upon the two factors. The first factor relies upon the fact that the benefit program needs to be capable of identifying the needs of the employees during the upliftment of the organizational objectives. The soundness of the benefit program also stems from the fact that the program is capable of effective management of such kind of programs (Bohlander & Snell, 2009). It can be worthy of mentioning that the biggest issue for the HR managers is to attract as well as retain the excellent talents in the organization. Therefore, it becomes important for the companies to implement numerous strategies along with the techniques so that they can cope up with this kind of human resource related issues. It is identified that the high performance organizations tend to surpass in relation to their competitors by implementing numerous human resource related strategies that include openness among the members, opportunity to learn and provide training to the employees. When a company tends to realize the fact that it is the human resource’s effective management that determines the competitiveness of the firm, the companies develop the above mentioned strategies (Hiltrop, 1999). In a next few decades most of the workforces in the organizations will be women and this tends to have an impact on the corporate employers. There will be two kinds of workforce, one of them will be career-primary and the other might be career and family. If the organization wants to retain their best talents in the organization they are supposed to identify the importance of both kinds of women and thus provide them a flexible working

What Happened During the Negotiation Process of Coast News Case Study

What Happened During the Negotiation Process of Coast News - Case Study Example The paper throws light on negotiation as a method of performing group decisions among the parties who are engaged possessing different choices or likings. Basically, negotiation is a procedure of getting the things done from others that are expected from them particularly in the method of executing various vital decisions. Moreover, negotiation is regarded as a deal in which the engaged parties possess a direct influence upon the final outcome of the negotiation. It requires voluntary approval on behalf of the parties those who are involved in a particular negotiation. It is also considered as a give and take process in which the actual and definite conditions of a transaction are equally agreed. It is the act or technique of bargaining in order to accomplish a commonly satisfactory agreement or objective. The other significant conception of negotiation lies in the peaceful method in which the involved parties find ultimate solutions by themselves and ultimately gain maximum control of their desired result. The negotiation process is also considered as the legal and orderly management procedure by which the governments conduct their relations with other establishments and discuss, adjust as well as manage their disagreements or any differences. In this global financial market, the most significant and crucial matter lies in policymaking. It has been identified that the policy formations are related to various deeds among the parties regarding diverse issues towards communal interests and other related factors along with avoiding increase regarding the internal conflicts among the parties. In this connection, it can be observed that negotiation is a central component of policy-making procedures which determine the different issues that are addressed by the policy makers, finds solutions and required support from the involved parties to confirm that the planned policy-making decisions are sustainable. The conception of negotiation mainly takes place for various r easons. The reasons include such as the initiative taken by the involved parties in order to generate any new aspect and to resolve a problem or a dispute between the involved parties among others. A wide range of perspectives can be used in order to understand different aspects of negotiation such as economic theories and practices, psychology, political science, communication, labor relations and law among others. The same negotiation outcome can also be understood from several different perspectives because the people or the engaged parties in the procedure of negotiation can negotiate many different aspects along with considering the necessity of the fundamental process of negotiation for them who work with other people. However, the several characteristics that are common to all negotiable situations include the presence of the involved parties which may be individuals, groups or organizations among others and conflict of interest between them that is based on the dissimilariti es regarding their different views, opinions and ideas among others along with the methods in order to manage the conflict. Moreover, the characteristics of negotiable situations also include acting as a voluntary process.

Marketing foundation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing foundation - Assignment Example Besides this, the product will be launched in the consumer market which will have to displayed and presented differently if it were to target the construction companies. The product’s packaging and display will be altered as per the consumers’ requirements. As there is a need for separate shower flooring which does not need to be cleaned every now and then and which does not make moulds in the ground because of water, Reece Company is giving the market a one-time solution for moulds in the shower place. Because of constant contact with water, mould is one of the biggest concerns of the consumers. Therefore, the new shower flooring must be of a premium quality. The tiles must allow easy flow of water and do not let water to accumulate on the floor. The new unique shower floor makes the water flow easier which makes it convenient for cleaning and drying it because of which, the possibility of moulds growing on the floor is minimized to the least level. A cushion layer is placed between the base and the surface which acts as a conductor of heat which prevents the tiles from getting cold. The new shower floor will be available in both small sizes and large sizes with the smallest being a standard of 8 x 10 inches, the medium size of 12 x 12 inches and the largest size of an 12 x 36 inch slab. As the product will be sold directly to the end consumer, all sizes will come in a standard pack of 10 tiles. The new shower will be called SmartSwash. The brand will be promoted in the target segment of 30 – 40 age groups who are most eligible to buy new homes or are receptive to the idea of renovation with the benefits offered by SmartSwash. After the sales, Reece Company’s outlet will arrange for transport for large customers. A supervisor who will guide the workers through with the installation will be sent to every customer. Besides

Child Soldiers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Child Soldiers - Essay Example A growing phenomenon around the world is respect for international law. These are principle that nations agree to abide by. One growth area in this part of law and one issue that is highly contentious is the use of child soldiers in conflicts. This has been especially happening over the last twenty years. Some suggest there are nearly half a million child soldiers active in the majority of the world’s continuing conflicts. Using children to fight wars is not only morally abhorrent, but very bad very the physical and mental health of the children in question. That is in part why a series of international laws and treaties have come into effect to try to deal with this scourge. But the issue is more complicated than that. While child soldiers are victims of war crimes, they too can also perpetrate serious breaches of the law of armed conflict. Under normal circumstances, individuals who commit such acts, be they combatants or not, would be vulnerable to prosecution. However, bec ause children in such situations are victims as well as perpetrators and because of the special protections afforded to children under international law, many have questioned whether or not children can be prosecuted for these egregious violations of the law of armed conflict. But a larger question is are states being prevented from using child soldiers by international law? Are the laws robust enough to prevent this situation from occurring in the future? The answer must sadly be no. Countries in Africa remain the worst offenders in terms of employing girls and boys to do fighting. Often they are drugged and abused. They live for the rest of their lives with the knowledge of their crimes. The world is changing. International law is increasing its purview. But the scourge of child soldiers remains. We must take more steps to combat this.

Analysis of Guido Reni's Works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysis of Guido Reni's Works - Essay Example The essay "Analysis of Guido Reni's Works" describes the biography, training and career information of popular artists in the 15th and 16th century with a bigger emphasis on the re-known Guido Reni. Guido Reni, son to Daniele Reni and Ginevra de' Pozzi, was born in a town known as Bologna. The family of Reni was known for producing musicians. He is an Italian painter born on the 4th of November in 1575. He received his education together with Domenichino at Calvert as an apprentice in this Bolognese studio at the age of nine, then Carracci and finally trained with Ferrantini but just for a while. At the age of twenty-three, he and three other pupils from Calvert studios shifted to another rival studio named, â€Å"Accademia Degli Incamminati â€Å". At his time he was the most popular artist in Italy and with the approach of the 18th century, his fame spread to England. He is a renown painter known for his amazing coloring skills that outdid those in the previous times. He has pain ted in prestigious places like the Quirinal and Furnace palaces, some churches in Rome, the Borghese family chapel and the most outstanding piece of work is the ceiling of the decoration of the Palazzo Rospigliosi and Phoebus. In 1601, Reni and Albani his ally from Calvert, packed their bags and made for Rome to work under Annibale Carracci in the decoration of the furnace palace. In 1601 to 1604 Cardinal Paolo Emilio Sfondrati became his patron. In 1604 to 1605 he was given an opportunity to work on the crucifixion of St Peters altarpiece.

Child Soldiers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Child Soldiers - Essay Example A growing phenomenon around the world is respect for international law. These are principle that nations agree to abide by. One growth area in this part of law and one issue that is highly contentious is the use of child soldiers in conflicts. This has been especially happening over the last twenty years. Some suggest there are nearly half a million child soldiers active in the majority of the world’s continuing conflicts. Using children to fight wars is not only morally abhorrent, but very bad very the physical and mental health of the children in question. That is in part why a series of international laws and treaties have come into effect to try to deal with this scourge. But the issue is more complicated than that. While child soldiers are victims of war crimes, they too can also perpetrate serious breaches of the law of armed conflict. Under normal circumstances, individuals who commit such acts, be they combatants or not, would be vulnerable to prosecution. However, bec ause children in such situations are victims as well as perpetrators and because of the special protections afforded to children under international law, many have questioned whether or not children can be prosecuted for these egregious violations of the law of armed conflict. But a larger question is are states being prevented from using child soldiers by international law? Are the laws robust enough to prevent this situation from occurring in the future? The answer must sadly be no. Countries in Africa remain the worst offenders in terms of employing girls and boys to do fighting. Often they are drugged and abused. They live for the rest of their lives with the knowledge of their crimes. The world is changing. International law is increasing its purview. But the scourge of child soldiers remains. We must take more steps to combat this.

Current Events Journal 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current Events Journal 3 - Essay Example The Federal government has also contemplated this issue. Many Republican congressmen would go as far as to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage. An article by Steve LeBlanc that appeared recently in the Boston Globe examined this issue. An important concept of the Constitution provides that those of a minority opinion cannot have their rights as Americans taken away by those that subscribe to the current majority opinion. Thus, a vote should not determine whether or not gays should be able to marry. Opponents to gay marriage argue that democracy is based on the will of the people thus the decision should be in the hands of the voters. They also say that a judge should not be able to abolish centuries of tradition with no consideration of majority opinion. Being gay is a choice and therefore their civil rights are not being violated and they are not experiencing discrimination. By contrast, a person of minority heritage, women and the disabled do not have a choice. A letter was issued to Massachusetts lawmakers from 165 prominent business and civic leaders asking that legislators frame the gay marriage issue as a civil rights concern when debating the question of amending the State’s Constitution. The letter read, in part, â€Å"†¦we should not write discrimination into the Constitution and oppose efforts to amend the Constitution that would take away rights, including the right of gay and lesbian citizens to marry.† Another letter, released by the four Catholic bishops in the state supported a gay marriage ban amendment. â€Å"The debate over the meaning of marriage should not be limited to government officials since the magnitude of the issue calls for the full participation of the public. Neither the judiciary nor the legislature should substitute itself for the sovereignty of the people, especially on such a foundational matter as the meaning of marriage.† The

E-Contracts and E-Signatures Essay Example for Free

E-Contracts and E-Signatures Essay I. Forming Contracts Online Disputes arising from contracts entered into online concern the terms and assent to those terms. A. Online Offers Terms should be conspicuous and clearly spelled out. On a Web site, this can be done with a link to a separate page that contains the details. The text lists subjects that might be covered, including remedies, dispute settlement, payment, taxes, refund and return policies, disclaimers, and privacy policies. An online offer should also include a mechanism by which an offeree can affirmatively indicate assent (such as an â€Å"I agree† box to click on). 1. Click-On Agreements A click-on agreement occurs when a buyer, completing a transaction on a computer, is required to indicate his or her assent to be bound by the terms of an offer by clicking on a button that says, for example, â€Å"I agree.† The terms may appear on a Web site through which a buyer is obtaining goods or services, or they may appear on a computer screen when software is loaded. 2. Shrink-wrap Agreements A shrink-wrap agreement is an agreement whose terms are expressed inside a box in which computer hardware or software is packaged. In most cases, the agreement is not between a seller and a buyer, but between a manufacturer and the user of the product. The terms generally concern warranties, remedies, and other issues associated with the use of the product. †¢ Courts often enforce shrink-wrap agreements, reasoning that the seller proposed an offer that the buyer accepted after an opportunity to read the terms. Also, it is more practical to enclose the full terms of a sale in a box. †¢ If a court finds that the buyer learned of the shrink-wrap terms after the parties entered into a contract, the court might conclude that those terms were proposals for additional terms, which were not part of the contract unless the buyer expressly agreed to them. 3. Browse-Wrap Terms Browse-wrap terms, which can also occur in an online transaction, do not require a user to assent to the terms before going ahead with the deal. Offerors of these terms generally assert that they are binding without the user’s active consent. Critics argue that a user should at least be required to navigate past the terms before they should be considered binding. II. E-Signatures The text discusses how e-signatures are created and verified, and their legal effect. A. E-Signature Technologies The text discusses three common methods for creating e-signatures. B. State Laws Governing E-Signatures Most states have laws governing e-signatures, although the laws are not uniform. The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), issued in 1999 and adopted by most states, was an attempt by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) to create more uniformity. C. Federal Law on E-Signatures and E-Documents In 2000, Congress enacted the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN Act) to provide that no contract, record, or signature may be â€Å"denied legal effect† solely because it is in an electronic form. Some documents are excluded, most notably documents governed by Articles 3, 4, and 9 of the UCC. III. Partnering Agreements Through a partnering agreement, a seller and a buyer agree in advance on the terms to apply in all transactions subsequently conducted electronically. These terms may include access and identification codes. A partnering agreement, like any contract, can prevent later disputes. IV. The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act The UETA, which is a draft of legislation suggested to the states by the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) and the American Law Institute (ALI), removes barriers to e-commerce by giving the same legal effect to electronic records and signatures as to paper documents and signatures. A. The Scope and Applicability of the UETA The UETA applies only to e-records and e-signatures relating to a transaction (an interaction between two or more people relating to business, commercial or governmental activities). The UETA does not apply to laws governing wills or testamentary trusts, the UCC (except Articles 2 and 2A), the UCITA, and other laws excluded by the states. B. The Federal E-SIGN Act and the UETA If a state enacts the UETA without modification, the E-SIGN Act does not preempt it. The E-SIGN Act does preempt modified versions of the UETA to the extent that they are inconsistent with the E-SIGN Act. Under the E-SIGN Act, states may enact alternative procedures or requirements for the use or acceptance of e-records or e-signatures if (1) those procedures or requirements are consistent with the E-SIGN Act, (2) the state’s procedures do not give greater legal effect to any specific type of technology, and (3) if the state adopts the alternative after the enactment of the E-SIGN Act, the state law must refer to the E-SIGN Act. C. Highlights of the UETA State versions may vary. 1. The Parties Must Agree to Conduct Transaction Electronically This agreement may be implied by the circumstances and the parties’ conduct (for example, giving out a business card with an e-mail address on it). Consent may also be withdrawn. 2. Parties Can â€Å"Opt Out† Parties can waive or vary any or all of the UETA, but the UETA applies in the absence of an agreement to the contrary. 3. Attribution The effect of an e-record is determined from its context and circumstances. A person’s name is not necessary to give effect to an e-record, but if, for example, a person types her or his name at the bottom of an e-mail purchase order, that typing qualifies as a â€Å"signature† and is attributed to the person. Any relevant evidence can prove that an e-record or e-signature is, or is not, the act of the person. If issues arise relating to agency, authority, forgery, or contract formation, state laws other than the UETA apply. 4. Notarization A document can be notarized by a notary’s e-signature. 5. The Effect of Errors If the parties agree to a security procedure and one party does not detect an error because it did not follow the procedure, the conforming party can avoid the effect of the error [UETA 10]. If the parties do not agree on a security procedure, other state laws determine the effect of the mistake. To avoid the effect of an error, a party must (1) promptly notify the other of the error and of his or her intent not to be bound by it and (2) take reasonable steps to return any benefit or consideration received. If restitution cannot be made, the transaction may be unavoidable. 6. Timing An e-record is sent when it is properly directed from the sender’s place of business to the intended recipient in a form readable by the recipient’s computer at the recipient’s place of business that has the closest relation to the transaction (or either party’s residence, if there is no place of business). Once an e-record leaves the sender’s control or comes under the recipient’s control, it is sent. An e-record is received when it enters the recipient’s processing system in a readable form—even if no person is aware of its receipt.

Social Phobia and Perfectionism: Theories, Types and Models

Social Phobia and Perfectionism: Theories, Types and Models Contents (Jump to) Abstract Chapter 2 – Epidemiology of Generalized and Specific Social Phobia Chapter 3 Etiological Hypotheses and Findings Chapter 4 The Behavioral Models of Social Phobia Abstract Derived from the Greek word for ‘fear’, a phobia represents a ‘fight or flight’ response that is described by the American Psychiatric Association as â€Å"†¦ an uncontrollable, irrational and persistent fear of a specific object †¦ situation †¦activity† (Phobia King, 2006). Social phobia, which is known as ‘phobia des situations socials’, was first termed by Pierre Janet (1903) whereby he described patients that demonstrated and or had a fear of being observed as they were either speaking, writing or performing other functions. Hurka (1993, p. 3) tells us that perfectionism is a â€Å"†¦ moral theory (that) starts from an account of the good life † Hurka (1993, p. 3) goes on to add that the ‘good life’ develops humanity properties to a high degree and or thus realizes what is important as well as central to human nature. The history of perfectionism can be traced back to Aristotle’s conception of eudaimonia, the good life, and his belief that political structures and politics should thus promote this in its individuals (Aristotle and Irwin, translator, 1999, pp. 1-4). Other notable individuals throughout history noted for their devotion to perfectionism in varied forms are Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi, Clement of Alexandria as well as Jesus who stated in his Sermon on the Mount said â€Å"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect† (MainBelieve.com, 2006). The dictionary defines ‘perfectionism’ as â€Å"a tendency to set rigid high standards of personal performance† (free dictionary.com, 2006). In psychology, perfectionism represents the belief that this is something which should be strived for and in its pathological sense it represents the unhealthy belief anything that is not perfect is unacceptable (coping.org, 2006). It also represents not making mistakes and striving to be the best, as well as the attitude that what one attempts needs to be done perfectly and a habit that is developed in one’s youth keeping one consistently alert to imperfections as well as weaknesses and failings in one’s self as well as others (coping.org., 2006). This paper shall examine these two areas, delving into their individual specificities as well as linkages and commonalities, revealing opposing views concerning the diagnosis and causes of these afflictions and the views which seemingly share many similar aspects. The term, phobia, is generally classified by psychiatrists and psychologists into three basic categories (Bourne, 2005, pp. 33-42) (Kessler et al, 2005, pp. 629-640): Social Phobias Specific Phobias Agoraphobia Isaac Marks (1969, p. 362) advises that the syndromes representing shyness, social anxiety along with social avoidance had been described as early as Hippocrates. Marks (1969, p. 362) reported that individuals with this affliction â€Å"†¦ through bashfulness, suspicion, and timorousness, will not be seen abroad, †¦ he dare not come in company, for fear he should be misused, disgraced, overshoot himself in gestures of speeches †¦ he thinks every man observed him †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mark’s (1969) views and analysis is amplified by Heimberg et al (1995, p. 96) who state that individuals having this affliction â€Å"†¦ experience excessive fear of being humiliated or judged negatively in social or performance situations.† Juster et al (1996, pp. 403-410) state that perfectionism is linked to social phobia and is also related to anxiety as well as depression. Frost et al (1990, pp. 449-468) ‘Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale assesses perfectionism in terms of it being a phenomenon that consists of three segments: Self oriented, is described as the tendency for a person to seek as well as set high self standards concerning performance, Other oriented, is the tendency for a person to expect others to be perfect in their performance(s), Socially prescribed represents the tendency that a person expects others to think and or believe others expects them to be perfect in their performance. Frost et al (1990, pp. 449-468) define perfectionism as a malady that entails excessive self criticism that is associated with the setting or belief in higher personal standards and the allied concern of meeting expectations on a social level. The preceding also includes the tendency for excessive self criticism that is associated with their higher personal standards as well as their concerns for meeting what is, in their internal view, social expectations, along with the excessive focus concerning organization as well as neatness and doubts with regard to their effectiveness in their actions (Frost et al, 1990, pp. 449-468). The preceding describes the inter relatedness between social phobia and perfectionism that will be explored herein which shall examine each aspect and their links. Perfectionism has roots in aspects of social phobia, as well as the reverse being true. These two afflictions sometimes are present in individuals having social anxiety and are generally conditions that have their roots in early childhood. In examining these two areas, attention shall be paid to their individual diagnosis areas, signs, conditions and foundations, as well as the linkages between the varied forms of social phobia and perfectionism. This examination has been organized to set forth the preceding via segmenting the foregoing into areas that identify and explain the aspects of social phobia as well as perfectionism revealing the foregoing linkages and commonalities. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2000, pp. 154-156) defines social phobia as a persistent and marked fear of one or more performance and or social situations whereby an individual is exposed to people that are unfamiliar and thus subject to scrutiny by others whereby the person in question thus feels (fears) that they might or will act in such a manner, and or exhibit anxiety, which will either be embarrassing and or humiliating. The preceding concurs with Heimberg et al (1995, p. 96) who stated that individuals having this affliction â€Å"†¦ experience excessive fear of being humiliated or judged negatively in social or performance situations.† Social Anxiety Disorder represents the third highest mental health care problem globally and afflicts an estimated seven percent of the world’s population at any given point in time, with a thirteen percent chance that it will affect any one of us during our lives (Social Phobia / Social Anxiety A ssociation, 2005). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Social Anxiety Institute, 2006) defines social phobia as: A persistent fear of either one or more performance and or social situations whereby an individual is exposed to potential scrutiny by unfamiliar people and that they, the person in question, will act in a manner, and or show anxiety symptoms, which will be either humiliating and or embarrassing. That the exposure to the situation in almost all situations results in anxiety that can and usually does take the form of what is termed as being based upon situations and thus pre-disposed or bound Panic Attack. The individual experiencing the symptoms of social anxiety recognizes that they have a fear that is excessive and or unreasonable. The feared situations are thus avoided by this type of individual or are endured under intense distress and anxiety. The individual’s avoidance, distress and or anticipation of the feared situation thus significantly interferes with this person’s normal routine, functioning and an occupational and or academic manner, their social activities /relationships, and or they experience a marked distress concerning having the phobia. In those persons 18 years of age or less the general period of the duration of such an experience is generally six months. That the fear and or avoidance of the aforementioned is not due to the direct physiological effects of either drugs or medications, and or a general medical condition which could be accounted for by virtue of another mental disorder. The preceding diagnostic criteria provide a guideline, however they do not substitute an analysis and or visit to a mental health practitioner (Ohio State University, 2005). Examples of diagnostic criteria historical facets are described as (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2000) : patients having a hypersensivity to criticism, along with a difficulty in being assertive, and or low self esteem as well as potentially inadequate social skills. They avoid speaking in front of groups of people, with the preceding potentially leading to difficulties in either work or education. In order to reach a diagnosis concerning social phobia in children the situation calls for observing their interactions with peers as opposed to observing them with adults, which represents a different context. In reaching and or considering a diagnosis, clinicians should seek to consider what is termed the co-morbid diagnosis represented by avoidant personality disorder when an individual exhibits generalized social phobia. It has been determined that a high percentage of individuals with social phobia have or have developed alcohol and or sedative abuse that aids them in tolerating social situations, however the preceding is not universally true. Symptoms and characteristics of social phobia consist of one, some or all of the following (Helpguide.org, 2006): Avoidance, Whereby an individual will go to great lengths to avoid the prospect of socializing based upon the fear that they will by either perceived in an adverse manner or be humiliated. If left untreated this condition can accelerate or develop into the condition known as agoraphobia. Low Self Esteem, Represents a condition which most individuals who are afflicted with social phobia experience and it is marked by the fact that the longer one remains in this condition the more it affects one’s sense of self worth. Depression, A common outgrowth of having a social anxiety disorder is that the feelings of extreme anxiety as well as the sense of the lack of control over one’s life can very well lead to depression. Alcohol and or Drug Abuse, It has been estimated that one fourth of the individuals with this condition abuse either alcohol and or drugs usually starting to alleviate the pain and then accelerating into wholesale abuse. Academic and Occupational Difficulties, The condition has been known to interfere with one’s ability to function at work as well as academically and can as well as has presented obstacles in these regards. Interpersonal Difficulties, Statistics and studies have determined that as a result of this condition, individuals are prone to be less likely to marry and also have fewer friends as well as social support. The symptoms represented by social phobia defer in respect to children and adults as generally represented by the fact that in the earlier stages children tend to fail to achieve their levels, and adults show declines from prior functioning levels (Biederman et al, 2001, pp. 49-57) (Stein, 2001, pp. 28-39). The symptoms as manifested by children frequently are observed as temper tantrums, clinging to parents, crying and interactive aspects such as the refusal to talk to others (Biederman et al, 2001, pp. 49-57). In adults, the symptoms include a number of physical anxiety signs along with behavior and attitude manifestations (Bruce and Saeed, 1999, pp. 2311-2322): blushing, nausea, dry mouth, sweating, tremors and other similar types of anxiety indicators, difficulty as represented with self assertion, an extreme sensitivity concerning criticism, negative evaluations and or rejection, an intense preoccupation and concern regarding the responses as well as reactions of other individuals, increased fears regarding the prospect of being either humiliated and or embarrassed, and the avoidance of situations that cause or create fear and or anxiety Olfson et al (2001, pp. 521-527) advise that the diagnosis of social phobia is generally based upon the history of the patient, along with reported symptoms. In keeping with an accurate diagnosis the physician may also utilize what is termed a diagnostic questionnaire which aids in ruling our other possible phobias, anxiety orders as well as major depression (Olfson et al, 2001, pp. 521-527). Screening and testing procedures for adults suspected of suffering from social phobia represents a problematic assessment as some general screeners, for example the Structured Clinical Interview does not include questions that are related to social phobia and such a test can take upwards of twenty-five minutes (Bruce and Saeed, 1999, pp. 2311-2322). In addition to the foregoing there are instruments such as the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale as well as the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale which are long and in general are useful more in the measurement of therapy progress (Bruce and Saeed, 1999, pp. 2311-2322). Interestingly, physicians have found that the utilization of a selected group of questions added to a general screening questionnaire has proved helpful in their detection of this condition; examples of the preceding are as follows (Olfson et al, 2001, pp. 521-527): Are feeling embarrassed or feeling as if you look stupid among your worst fears? Does the fear of embarrassment cause you to avoid doing certain things and or speaking to people? Do you avoid situations where you could be or are the center of attention? The diagnosis of children takes into account additional factors as a result of their age. Such includes the fact that they do not have the options of avoiding most situations which frighten them (Bogels and Zigterman, 2000). The preceding provides an explanation as to why children are less likely to be able to provide why they are thus anxious. Bogels and Zigterman (2000) advise that thus it is important for physicians to therefore evaluate their capacity concerning social relationships with individuals the child knows, as well as assess their interactions with those in their peer group for signs of social phobia indications in addition to their behavior with and around adults. Examples of the procedural aspects for the preceding entail the utilization of what are termed the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents and Children, the parent completed Child Behavior Checklist and the Teacher’s Report Form (Bogels and Z igterman, 2000). Social phobia differs from shyness in that the former condition causes individuals to avoid the anxiety producing situations by all means, whereas shyness can be attributed to a number of broad classifications as it represents different things to differing individuals. Crozier (1990, p. 2) states that â€Å"†¦ shyness is not a precise term. It refers to feeling awkward or uncertain in social situations.† Crozier (1990, p. 2) continues that shyness is associated with being and or feeling self conscious, the â€Å"†¦ excessive monitoring of one’s behaviors and over rehearsal of potential utterances† â€Å"The shy person feels anxious and often †¦ appears anxious to others† (Crozier, 1990, p. 2). Berent and Lemley (1994, p. 9) state that the word itself is â€Å"†¦ too general to be of much help in identifying a problem and solving it† and that shyness has varied degrees of complexity and intensity from extremely mild and applicable in a few situations, to more perverse whereby it can thus be termed as a social phobia. Berent and Lemley (1994, p. 10-11) advise us that shyness and social anxiety are closely related and in both instances as they represent a â€Å"†¦ learned response to social interaction†. They go on to explain that shy and or socially anxious individuals â€Å"†¦ may hesitate to pursue the things he or she is interested in, or even begin to avoid situations that cause nervousness or anxiety†. Thus, the spectrum entailing shyness ranges from relatively few instances to actual social phobia. Shyness is not necessarily a criterion for social phobia in that individuals having a social anxiety disorder can be comfortable with certain types and or many differing people; however, they feel intense regarding certain specific situations (CNN.com, 2006). Social anxiety disorder is termed as a social phobia, and or as a psychiatric anxiety disorder which entails overwhelming anxiety as well as excessive self consciousness concerning everyday situations (Crozier and Lynn, 2001, pp. 18-24). Individuals with this affliction often exhibit an intense, chronic as well as persistent fear that they are being watched along with being judged by others, thinking that they might be either humiliated and or embarrassed as a result of their own actions (Crozier and Lynn, 2001, pp. 18-24). The distinction between generalized and specific social anxiety is indicated as those having the generalized type have significant distress with most, if not all social type situations, whereas specific, as the word implies, refers to such situations with specific connotations. Examples of the preceding are evidenced by glossophobia, which is the fear of speaking or performing in public, scriptophobia, which is the fear of writing in public, or paruresis, the fear of utilizing public restrooms (Bruch, 1989, pp. 37-47). Sometimes referred to as anxious personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder is recognizable as a result of a pattern of social inhibition that is pervasive (Mental Health Matters.com, (2006). The foregoing description includes feelings of inadequacy as well as an extreme sensitivity regarding negative evaluation, and people with this affliction very often consider that they are socially inept and or unappealing on a personal level, thus they avoid situations entailing social interaction due to a fear of either being humiliated and or ridiculed. In general, avoidant personality disorder is usually first noticed in one’s early childhood and is usually associated with either a real or perceived rejection by one’s parents and or peers in that period (Dayhoff, 2000. pp. 29-38). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2000) is widely utilized in diagnosing avoidant personality disorder and is identifiable by four or more of the following (Rettew, 2 006): Avoidance of occupational activities which involve degrees of significant interpersonal contact as a result of fears regarding criticism, rejection and or disapproval. Being unwilling to get or be involved with someone unless being certain that one will be liked. Through showing restraint in intimate relationships as a result of fearing shame or ridicule. Being preoccupied in social situations with being criticized and or rejected. By being inhibited in new situations entailing interpersonal relationships due to feelings of being inadequate. Viewing one’s self as inept socially, being unappealing and or inferior to other people. Being reluctant to take on personal risks and or to engage in new activities as such could or might thus prove embarrassing. Comorbidity is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary (2006) as â€Å"A concomitant but unrelated pathological or disease process† with in the context of social phobia means the presence of either one or more such disorders as well as the primary disorder. Schuckit et al (1990, pp. 34-41) state that it represents the disorder that occurred first or the one representing the symptoms that are most dominant, which Klerman (1990, pp. 13-17) refers to as the primary disorder. The critical issues in dealing with comorbidity represents the proper and correct analysis of the varied disorders and understanding which one is the prevalent or primary one as well as the order, and impact of the associated disorders in which there are combination and their influences on the patient. Biederman et al (1991, pp. 565-577) indicates that there are several hypotheses which may be utilized to account for the true patterns of comorbidity and critical issues: that comorbid disorders are not distinct entities, they represent expressions termed phenotypic variability in the same disorder, that each comorbid disorder is a distinct as well as separate entity, that these disorders share vulnerabilities that are common, represented by genetic and or psychosocial, that these disorders have a distinct subtype, or genetic variant, and a heterogeneous disorder, that one syndrome represents what is termed an early manifestation, and that the development as represented by one syndrome can increase the risk of comorbid disorder. Caron and Rutter (1991, pp. 1063-1080) advise that the failure in understanding and attending to comorbidity patterns can thus cause researchers and physicians to come to misleading conclusions thereby creating negative intervention results. Achenbach (1990. pp. 271-278) warns us that the appearance of comorbidity might develop as a result of varied conceptual and or diagnostic models which can result in boundaries between disorders that are inappropriate and can potentially lead to the tendency for comparison of one diagnosis against normal individuals as opposed to other diagnosis. He warns that there is a need for well defined diagnosis in the instance of this occurrence, comorbidity (Achenbach, 1990. pp. 271-278). Chapter 2 – Epidemiology of Generalized and Specific Social Phobia Termed the study of the scientific factors which affect the illness and health of populations, epidemiology serves as the logic and foundational basis for interventions that are made in the interests serving public health, along with preventive medicine (Rothman and Greenland, 1998, p. 29). The field is regarded as a cornerstone in the methodology of health research for the public sector and has the reputation of being highly regarded in the field of what is termed evidenced based medicine for the identification of disease risk factors and the determination of optimal treatment in the approaches representing clinical practice (Rothman and Greenland, 1998, p. 29). Morabia (2006, p. 3) explains that epidemiology, in terms of the public, represents a medical discipline dealing with the â€Å"†¦ large scale outbreaks of infectious diseases†. Chronicled in â€Å"Epidemiologia Espanola† spanning a period of thirteen centuries, Villalba, a Spanish physician, complied a li sting of epidemics as well as outbreaks which helped to define the term (Morabia, 2006, p. 3). Even though the practice extends back to the 16th century, as a scientific discipline it is relatively recent. The mission of epidemiology has â€Å"†¦ historically been to identify determinants of human diseases †¦ mostly at the population level† (Morabia, 2006, p. 3), and this holds true today. Epidemiology is prevalent in today’s communities under the term ‘Community-oriented primary care’, or COPC) and represents a systematic health care approach that is based upon principles of epidemiology (Rhyne et al, 1998). Usage has demonstrated that COPC, representing primary care, health promotion and preventive medicine has positive community benefits on a global basis (Rhyne et al, 1998). The methodology, ‘Community-oriented primary care’, entails the process of seeking to improve the health of a community utilizing the aforementioned principles, public health, primary care and epidemiology, which traditionally has been used to describe the health care system whereby a community and or targeted population is thus the focus (Wright, 1993). The American Public Health Association description of Community-oriented primary care states that it represents a â€Å"†¦ systematic process †¦ identifying and addressing †¦ health problems of a defined population† and that it thus can be implemented via the resources which are already available within most communities (Rhyne et al, 1998). It, COPC, represents a team comprised of health professionals, along with community members, who work in partnership over a long duration in treating and diagnosing patients in a community in a similar manner as does a primary care doctor, and while primary care physicians are not needed for or in every project, they nevertheless need to be involved in the process (Rhyne et al, 1998). The availability of epidemiologic studies from Europe, Asia and the United States over the past twenty years has permitted a clearer and sharper picture of social phobia with respect to its incidence, severity, prevalence and other correlations (Zucchi et al, 2000, pp. 17-24). The preceding historical base of epidemiologic information helps to provide a comprehensive reference point concerning the age of onset and incidence of social phobia from a broad population cross section. Studies conducted indicate that social phobia is the most prevalent of anxiety disorder (Carta et al, 2004), as shown by the following: Table 1- Lifetime Prevalence of Social Phobia in the General Populations of Europe and the United States (Carta et al, 2004) The preceding show the lifetime prevalence of Social Phobia of 2.2% across the board, representing 1.5% for males and 2.8% for females. Table 2 – Lifetime Prevalence of Social Phobia According to Age and Sex (Carta et al, 2004) The preceding Table represents studies conducted in Europe and the United States for the countries indicated with OR representing the degree of associated disorders that were observed regarding frequency in the populations that were not affected by social phobia. Table 3 – Lifetime Comorbidity of Social Phobia (Carta et al, 2004) * Where p is less than 0.001 The preceding Table represents the rate of comorbidity concerning major psychiatric disorders which were observed in the overall general populations of Europe and the United States, along with the degree of associated disorders (OR) in the reported populations which were not affected by social phobia. The mean age representing the onset of comorbid DE represented 6.5 plus or minus 6.6 years, whereas GAD represented a mean of 4.3 plus or minus 7.8 years later (Carta et al, 2004). In a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, they found six regions in the human genome that very well could play a role with regard to the susceptibility of obsessive compulsive disorder (Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, 2006). The study added to the growing evidence of a genetic basis for obsessive compulsive disorder and thus its inheritability through the finding of genetic markers, or what are termed similarities, in the genomes of individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder as represented by six significance regions within the genome that are on five differing chromosomes which appeared to be linked to obsessive compulsive disorder (Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, 2006). Dorak (2006) advises us that genetic epidemiology is related to and overlaps molecular epidemiology and that the epidemiological evaluation aims to seek the detection of the inheritance pattern regarding a disease, localize it and find the marker that is associated with its susceptibility. D orak (2006) states that the steps in genetic epidemiologic research are: the establishment of the fact that there is a genetic component concerning the diso